Many of Michigan’s public school districts are under substantial fiscal pressures from a combination of declining enrollment and increasing costs, particularly related to employee benefits. But most districts are responding to these challenges. One of the ways that districts can stretch their resources further is through competitive contracting for support services. Indeed, this 2013 survey of school districts shows that two-thirds of Michigan school districts contract out to private companies at least one of the three non-instructional services nearly all districts finance—food, custodial and transportation services.